National History
DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY INC. was founded January 13, 1913 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. by twenty-two DYNAMIC, DILIGENT, and DEDICATED college-educated women. Since it’s founding, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has created for itself a history that is representative of its illustrious membership and challenging to those who would follow in their footsteps. Delta's participation in national and international events has given the sorority a legacy that stands as tribute to its twenty-two founders and more than 250,000 members. The ideas, the evolution, the contribution, and the convictions of Delta are best portrayed and understood in the context of events that are shaped and fostered the sorority’s existence. Delta Sigma Theta's development in more than ninety years reveals the changing times and attitudes regarding all aspects of American life with respect to race, gender, ethnicity, and equal rights for women, particularly women of color.
Founders
Osceola Macarthy Adams
Marguerite Young Alexander
Winona Cargile Alexander
Ethel Cuff Black
Bertha Pitts Campbell
Zephyr Chisom Carter
Edna Brown Coleman
Jessie McGuire Dent
Frederica Chase Dodd
Myra Davis Hemmings
Olive Jones
Jimmie Bugg Middleton
Pauline Oberdorfer Minor
Vashti Turley Murphy
Naomi Sewel Richardson
Mamie Reddy Rose
Eliza Pearl Shippen
Florence Letcher Toms
Ethel Car Watson
Wertie Blackwell Weaver
Madree Penn White
Edith Mott Young
